Home with Daniel....Because of Kaz!!!

Greetings from the home front...at long last....we are all together - and adjusting.

Papa and Daniel touched down at O'Hare on Friday afternoon...and America's Newest Citizen became official. Daniel Jake.

What an ordeal...the flight out of Almaty on Thursday was delayed from 2 am to 1 PM...and that was after Papa had to return the cell phone and the local adoption folks had said goodbye. We checked out the near by dump, AKA hotel, but it did not offer a toilet and the receptionist must have been having another bad bad day. Did I mention it was a dump.

So, we headed back into the terminal with Daniel Jake finally dozing off from 1 to 5 am. The terminal is small, and was filled to capacity with Muslims heading to Mecca. Finally, at noon we were able to check in and wait for the departure to Frankfort. But no sooner had we sat down in the terminal, a very older Kazakhstan woman was hugging and hugging Papa. Initially, she seemed to be happy that a child was being adopted....yet it became clear....she was very happy and had had too much sauce with her borsh .... or horse...or pancakes that day at lunch. We were able to find a new spot in the terminal and avoided her entirely.

Again, this was Thursday, the day we were suppose to arrive at O'Hare....but with the delay in leaving, we missed our connecting flight to Chicago. So after getting more papers signed and waiting and waiting for forms to be processed, the airline put us up for the night in a very nice hotel. Some of the photos below include a ginger bread house on display in the lobby. Meanwhile, back at Ohare, Mama thought we were on the original flight and would be home on Thursday. After waiting, with a HUGE balloon for hours, she realized we were no shows. After many calls to our travel agency, she was finally told where we were and about the flight delays. ANd then at 1:30 am Frankfort time, Papa got a call from Mama. We were all ready for Friday's plans and being together soon.

We did finally make it home on Friday afternoon,,,,and have since been adjusting. Especially Daniel with the time changes. He woke up Saturday at 2 am, and we were all up after that for the day. And then Sunday and Monday, it was 4 am. Hopefully, if we can keep him up a bit later here on Monday evening, he will sleep in till 6 or so. Plus we are heading out soon to check out the Christmas lights.

Sure can not thank you all enough for your support and encouragement this year, and especially during our first trip in October, and the final trip this month. It sure means a lot to us...and some day down the road we will share your comments and the like with Daniel.


Here's a sampling of photos...







Daniel studying the safety guide on the airplane...he did this on each flight!!













One of the ginger bread houses in Germany....yummy










One from Uganda and one from Kaz'....not all that different, eh.
















Papa and Daniel with the Big Balloon from Mama











Elf Daniel shopping at Lowes. Mama and Papa are also learning how to shop with Daniel.

Mama and Daniel for his first hamburger in America...the happy meal toy was the best part!!!

Daniel wants to take a spin around the block and check out the young babes in the neighborhood. Mama and Papa can wait a few years while his legs get long enough to reach the pedals...and is also able see over the dash. Look out Ladies!!!


Love to all, Becky and Steve

What a Christmas this will be!!!!!

Daniel Jake...America's Newest Citizen

HI All

A note here just to let you all know that America's Newest Citizen, Daniel Jake, touched down on America soil about 1:30 Central Time with Papa. What a great day. What an adventure it was!!

Will post some photos and some of the details on the ordeal we had getting in...and the ordeal Mama went thru here waiting for us. Stay tuned.

Daniel is sleeping the night away already...and Papa is soon to follow his lead. We were both up this morning at 1 am, Chicago Time, to catch our plane.

Thank goodness we live in the USA. And Thanks to Kaz too...more on this later.

Daniel and Mama and Papa

Touch down at Ohare Int'l on Thursday....

Wednesday AM here in Kaz'....that makes it 9 pm in Chicago and the Heartland. On Tuesday that is.

Got the flights changed to leave here on Thursday at 2 AM...and should be at Ohare on Thursday afternoon with America's newest citizen in tow. It will be exciting time...getting there, and then once we are home.

There are lots of Christmas trees and Santas around time. Sorrta surprised me there are so many, and I know understand they do celebrate...but there is no day off...and I have not seen any religious displays either.

Daniel and I enjoyed some Chicken wings for dinner. BBQ style. Plus some French Fries...he enjoyed those too. And this morning for breakfast, he seemed to enjoyed his pancakes with Chocolate...and then a couple with Sour Cream...and a few more with Molasses. Papa tried 'em all, but does prefer the Molasses by far over the other two toppings.

We should done at the embassy by the time the sun rises over the heartland. Then off to the airport to wait a few hours...and spend the rest of our tenge. It takes 12,000 tenge to make $100 US. Food and beverages are very inexpensive, and the meals have been good. Quite the variety of dishes and assorted fresh veggies and such. Plan to celebrate our last meal in Kaz with a Banana Split for lunch...along with a couple of bowls of borsh.

Thanks all. Do keep a look out for Lufthansa 430 out of Frankfurt at 10 AM and due to fly over Motown and or Fort Wayne around 2 pm Eastern. Papa and Daniel will belooking down and waving bye bye.

Daniel Jake and Papa

Tuesday afternoon in Almaty

Hi All

Enjoyed a good breakfast with Daniel here in the hotel. They have some sort of Molasses side dish and a thick chocolate pudding. Both of us loved it...Daniel more the Chocolate...and Papa the molasses. Yummy.

And I just finished my first, and last, dish of horse. Even Daniel ate a few bites. Some of the slices tasted like beeef, other slices....not so good. Plus there were pieces of fat in there too. I left those behind. The borsh soup is very good...and seems to be enouyght to fill up Daniel. He is a good eater.

Will get some more shopping in here later. Even after just three days, I have experienced the sadness of my son at Papa not buying him everything in the toy store. I know this has been experienced by many readers of our blog. My frustration was furthered by the fact that I could not get him to understand that NO meant Mama and Papa would get him a few toys in America.

We are doing well. Keep those posts coming!!!

Love, Daniel and Steve

In Almaty...with Daniel jake

Hi All

No photos here for the first posting from Trip 2. I have Daniel Jake next to me right now...our second day together. It is going well. We have taken two walks today, and he got his physical. Plus Papa signed more papers than one does for a mortgage....seemed like it anyways. WOW

We have Tuesday off.....And Wednesday, we should be at the Embassy. Hopefully we will be able to leave on Thrusdya AM...that would mean American's next citizen would land on Thursday the 13th. Stay tuned.

I will try to let ya know as best I can. This hotel does not have the internet stability that the hotel did in Ust Kamenogorsk. And traffic....it worse. Still those Kaz drivers that put all my commuter friends to shame.

Daniel did enjoy his airplane ride....no fears. He even managed to take a few photos out the window. And the best par t of the day was when we landed an hour or so after takeoff...he said....Chicago and Mama!

Only two more flights....on thursday...i pray and hope


Papa with Daniel"s head on my left hand. Time to wrestle

bye bye

Thursday the 8th

Hi All

Just a quick note to all. We got in safe and sound on Saturday and have been trying to adjust to the time, work, weather (it's warmer here in Chicagoland), and the like.

And Papa is still fighting off that same cough, running nose, ucking feeling from last week.

We will get some more photos and videos posted by the weekend.

Thanks all for your support and help. It was especially great to get back and receive so many phone calls from family and friends. Plus a surprise visit by Nick Ferrari...my man in West Berlin. Thanks Nick...and also to his Pa and Ma who tagged along for the visit.

Becky and Steve

Update from on the road...Almaty, KZ

Hi

Surprise Surprise....we got connected to the internet via Wi-Fi here in Almaty. One flight completed, two more to go.

Managed to pick up a few more souvenoirs here at the airport, and only about 9 more hours before we depart for Frankfurt at 4 am. But, hey, we ain't complaining about any of it. This is a breeze!!! LOL LOL

We sure do miss Daniel, but know we will all be together soon. Probably early December all the papers will be processed and Papa will fly back to bring him home. Trip should only take four to five days. Papa will be dressed for the Ust' (UP like weather) and Daniel will be dressed real warm too.

No photos here to add to this post. It is prohibited to take photos of the plane or in the airport. We were politely advised of this.....less, we would be writing you this posting from jail and looking for a rescue team.

We are ready to get home and will now have a few weeks to complete DJ's room, and lots of calls to make on various issues. Papa sure has missed making all those calls, and Mama has missed her TV shows....

OK....thanks for your responses and continued support and prayers on our journey, and now on our journey back to America. What a country!!!!

USA and Kazakhstan.....each.....What a country!!!

One last shout out to MTU. Goo You Huskies Goo and beat up Bucky the badger in Madtown. Bucky on a stick!!!!! Go Tech Go!!!!

Update from on the road...Almaty, KZ

2 November....It's a boy

Hi All Blog Folks

We know everyone there in America is probably asleep right now...it is 11 AM Ust' Time.

We just got back from court....it's official. We are the proud parent of a bouncing, jumping, eating, active, boy...108 cm tall, 19 kilo weight. Brown hair, brown eyes.

We will now leave the Shiny River Hotel on the Banks of the Ulba River. Our flight to Almaty is due in at 4 PM, local time. We will have leisurely 12 hour layover in Almaty. More sourvenoirs and coffee. MAYBE Vodka to celebrate!!!

Thanks again everyone for your support and prayers. Our dream has come true....Kaz we can...

Kaz we could!!! Kaz we did!!!!

Thursday Morning...still Halloween in USA

Hi All

This will be our next to last post until we get back to USA

Our court session is Friday morning, and then we hurry off to the airport to get there by 1:30 or so, local time. If at all possible, we are going to try and visit Daniel one last time.

We will post one more later today with a photo or three of you know who!!!

OK..OK....just one more from Tuesday

Hi all

Today is a two posting day....seems like all our attempts yesterday did not work. Hope these go thru AOK.

Friday is court...we leave Ust" at 3 pm, and then will have 12 hour layovers in Almaty and Frankfort. And back home to Illinois on Saturday nite.

Mama is fine...Papa is fighting yet another cold. UCK

two videos from Tuesday

Daniel at the piano and getting around Mama...he is quick!

Tuesday update

Just a few photos from Monday, and one video. Enjoy!
Our court date will be Friday at 10 AM...12 PM Fort Wayne and Dee Troit time.

We are now trying to get flights out of here and back to America. Could be home Saturday nite or Sunday....stay tuned.

Bye bye

Saturday, 27 October....M&Ms...Daniel's first taste

We spent the morning shopping in the malls and the Chinese Bazaar. What a maze of shops that was. Mama was getting a bit dizzy with all the nooks and krannies with all sorts of winter clothing, and furs, and shoes. It must have been around 20-25 degrees, and we enjoyed a good brisk four hour shopping spree.

Our primary target was the souvenir store which had been closed for two days due to the Republic holiday. It was closed again - we will try tomorrow. Papa did buy a new winter cap…very stylish…sorrta Kaz’ looking. Mama now wants to buy some jewelry for herself. Go Figure.

Daniel had on his new sandals today…the ones we got him yesterday. We also introduced him to M&Ms (see MOV below). He loved them, as he does just about everything we bring him including apples, raisins, cookies, yogurt, bananas, to name a few.

The highlights of our only visit today were Mama was the horsey and Daniel sure liked that ride. And then as we left the orphanage, he was up at his bedroom window waving bye bye. It was sweet.

Here’s one more photo to add to the blog. Our last official visit is Sunday (two visits) and then Monday we get papers processed for the courts and such.

Second week anniversary in Kaz'

Here's a shot of the Madisons, and our translator Alina, watching Daniel enjoy a video game. He was so excited to hear that one day he will have his own computer….he said “spasiba” and gave us both a hug. Oh, yes, he can count to ten in English. What a good boy!

Our second week anniversary

Seems like ages ago, yet it has only been two weeks since we left O’Hare and headed east. We have since caught up on our sleep, and sure have had some very good meals….Turkish, Kazakh, Russian, Chinese…and Pizza. Last night we had tomatoes, mushrooms, and garlic on one full size, plus one half. It was very good and had lots of garlic. Papa loves garlic and Mama loves Pizza!

Saturday is bath day, so we will just get one visit with Daniel. We plan to spend our morning and mid day shopping at the local malls and at the Chinese Bazaar. Many of the malls here in Oskemen are very much like “antique malls” that we have in America with a bunch of vendors with small booths and a variety of items…clothing, toys, jewelry, food, and the like. A few malls are more upscale and sell fashionable more expensive items.

One of the bazaars near our hotel, http://www.shinyriverhotel.kaz/, is a maze of many little shops….all outside. It really is A bazaar. There are a few shops inside small buildings including stores that sell beef, and pork, and horse (we presume it is horse!)..all of which have been butchered and laying on tables for viewing and purchase. We hope to get a picture of some of these more unusual stores and shops.

Kazakhstan is a country of diversity and contrasts….it is really hard to put into words. For example….some cars have steering wheels on the right side, others on the left; the hot water is on the right and cold is on the left; instant coffee is just as good our ground brewed coffee; the tomatoes and olives and fruits and fruit juices are all delicious - even now at 40 degrees or less - we enjoy them all as if we were home in July or August. We have eaten Russian, Kazakh, Chinese, and Turkish, and have enjoyed some very good pizza too. We still have yet to try horse…at least Papa wants too….Mama will watch.

Snow and cold in Oskemen on Thursday

Thursday…snow and cold in Oskemen

25 October is a national holiday of some sort for the Republic of Kazakhstan. So we were only able to visit Daniel in the morning. He was so excited with the make shift Nija Turtle outfit, watched a Nija movie in Russian, played Tic Tac Toe, stickers, and tried a new puzzle.

We sure enjoy each and every visit with Daniel. Our official bonding period ends on Sunday, and then by next Tuesday we should know when our court day will be. Here’s the latest photo of the Madison Family.


We did wake up to some snow this morning, and it was colder. Sure would be great to see the sun again…

Wednesday…would you believe, another rain delay

We woke up to another rainy wet day, and din’t even bother to take the birch bat to the ball lot. We were treated to a special fall program, and all the kids participated; one group of Russian children and second of Kazakh. The kids were all dressed up, and some were dressed in native Kaz attire. They sang, they danced, and recited poems. We even got to watch Daniel dancing with a girl - it was cute, of course. It was really a nice program put on by the orphanage.

We were very impressed and could tell the kids were proud of their activities and poems. Unfortunately we are not allowed to take ANY pictures of the kids, only of Daniel. It is the orphanage policy. Daniel did finish the sand art project and we all helped put it in a frame. See photo below. If you see this same art work on E-Bay, don’t buy it. It’s a fake. LOL LOL

We spent our time between visits eating lunch at a very good Chinese restaurant. Then we shopped at a number of places, and did see a few snow flurries. Nothing that stuck to the ground…..yet.

OK...one photo...and short video...hope they get thru to America and the World.

Tuesday 23.10.07 Second rain delay

Another rainy, wet, dreary, cold day in Kaz. Gloomy gloomy. Not a good day to play ball…just stay inside and play. Daniel watched the same Nija Turtle movie he saw yesterday, but this time, it was in English. He was glued to the screen again, and laughed and seemed to recognize what was going on.

We did take a few minutes today and resized the baseball bat. Daniel helped Papa with the hand saw, and no one got hurt or cut. Plus we took a different approach on the stickers, it is a sand art picture that you have to peel off the sticker, and then pour the various colors of sand on the sticky part. We got about 1/3 thru our first project - a bird in the jungle. It is quiet colorful.

We did make more progress on the computer games. Daniel’s mouse skills are improving, and he has learned how to enter his name….D a n i e l.

Ok…here’s today’s photo of Daniel in his muscle man undershirt.

Daniel Jake Madison...singing and eating

Hi All

Here's a MOV...hope this one is viewable without cracking any necks out there.

Yes, that will be Daniels name on his new birth certificate.

Also...for any one wanting to post a comment, just click on the word COMMENT below each posting. You can make in anonomus or leave your name.

Bye Bye

Monday…Rain out game in Kaz’ - rescheduled for 23.10.07, NW lot

Hi All..Mama is better. She says about 90% or so. Throat a little sore and the antibotics help.

The sad news was, we woke up to rain and it was wet all day. Uck. No ball game. But we did want to show you his new bat. It’s a bit too tall for him, so Papa has to find a way to cut off about three inches of a birch branch. Engraving to follow that.

Due to the rain, we stayed inside and watched more Nija. He just laughed and laughed, and yes, sang the monkey Pucka song. Again, he laughs and laughs. We did find out today that we can also watch these movies in English. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to seeing the turtles speak English. He does know good boy, bye bye, and he can count one to five. When we left this morning, he left the room and then came back and said…have a good afternoon…In Russian…but the words are there.

We introduced Daniel to the world of computer games. And he seemed to understand the concept of clicking with a mouse, moving and dragging, and just had a ball. We think he got the highest score ever recorded in the history of Microsoft. If Bill Gates is one our blog followers, please check in.

Oh yes, just one more photo. Here we are playing memory game with the Mickey Mouse cards. He did a good job each time, and amazingly, he won every game. In fact, he had so many sets of cards, he gave a few extra pairs to Mama and Papa so at least we could say we had a few matches. We are so thankful that he has such good manners and likes to share. Plus, we are finding out more and more, he is a good hugger.

We have said this before...and we mean it each time. Thanks for all your posts. We look forward to checking the comments and finding familar names and new ones too. Thanks Janet and Jim...I know recall who you are.

Could not resist one more photo

OK People

Just one more snapshot for the day. We are off to bed and get our strength for Monday's big game. Hope you all were able to view the video. Jim and Janet...in Saudi...thanks for checking in..and do let us know who you are. We'd like to know. Thanks

OK...here's the photo from this morning....tho' it is only a Nija movie, one might think he is at the controls of some space ship or mega corporation or a Big Ten Football game. You be the judge.

And next time, we;ll post a video that is in not 90 degrees off. Sorry...this is a work in progress and we appreciate your patience and comments.

Becky and Steve

Sunday afternoon…one week anniversary

It has been a week since we arrived in Ust’. What a week! And it’s another sunny afternoon, but unfortunately, Mama still has a sore throat and is sleeping again. Hope these new local meds work…soon. Even Daniel seemed a bit sad this morning that Mama was not feeling good. They just blew each other kisses. It was cute.

For our only visit today, we watched a DVD of Nija Turtles. It is in Russian and Daniel sure laughed a lot. We were so curious if our little energetic, non stop action, climber, jumper good boy, would even be able to sit still. And sure he enough did. He sure din’t want to be bothered with any questions from the translator…he wanted to watch the movie. It looks like each of the Nijas has a different color mask over their eyes. I know that one of them is called Rafael…but who are the others and what are their colors…please!!!

We’re going to try a MOV file again. It is about a monkey and ends with a line about the monkey going Boop Ka. Yes, that in Russia is the same for all five year old…poo poo. Daniel laughs every time and so do we.

Hopefully our Monday update will include a healthy Mama for starters. We have a big baseball game planned on the SW lot of the orphanage. We have that globe ball and Papa did find a good size branch of a birch tree. It’s perfect for Daniel and we are sure he’ll be hitting ‘em over the fences. No exercise program needed for his parents; just the one of trying to keep up with him.

Well, just in case the MOV is too big, here’s a photo from our Sunday visit. We sure do enjoy all your comments and prayers and support. And yes, NAP…COL and Max will be awesome in 2008…you and MRR will be showing him a lot of stuff. And vice versa too NAP…lookout!!!

Bathed and Cleaned and a bit colder

This morning Mama woke up with a sore throat and little tired. She fought it off for most of the day and did pretty good during our only visit, but after getting back home to Shiny River, she is sleeping and fighting it off. So this post will actually be going out Sunday AM, Kaz’ time. (It is now Sunday, 7AM. Mama still has sore throat. Fortunately we have the name of an antibotic that we can get at the drug store this morning. Hopefully this will clear it up).

We spent a good portion of the morning looking for a clock radio and a plastic baseball bat. Alas, no luck despite trying about five places. Alas alas, Mama did find a bunch more puzzles, Nija Turtles, Memory Cards, and the like. We are sure trying to help the local economy.

We were successful in buying a clock radio at Daniel’s Supermarket. It is a couple o’ three blocks from here and the grocery store has a lot of good items…juices, fruits, soups, vodka, cheese, vodka, and more vodka. We purchased the clock radio in a store in the basement of Daniels, all by ourselves. The only statement we understood from the salesperson was six months. Apparently that is our warranty period. The hotel does not provide clock radios; so now we can tell the time in dark (and these room are nice and dark and quiet) plus listen to some local talk shows, local music, and even a couple of English stations too.

OK…getting back to that Baseball bat, although we never did find one, Daniel did - on the playground. He found a two foot long stick and started swinging like a major leaguer. While they weren’t all home run caliber, he sure kept his focus on the ball and was determined to do well each time. He now knows what “good boy” means. We doing better with some basic Russian and he is progressing on the English.

And oh yes, the weather sure turned a bit colder today. This morning Papa was out in a typical October attire for a Michiganer - a short sleeve polo shirt. But not for our visit in the afternoon as the temperature must have dropped about 20 degrees from the morning.

And oh yes (again) Daniel was bathed and clean today. We also found out he is ticklish. That will surely mean lots of fun back home in America.

CLOSING COMMENT...we are unable to post a photo, something is amiss with the Internet or our Blogspot. We will try again later. WE PROMISE!!!

Friday update...one week since we left

Another warm day here...shorts would be great to wear if we had any. Now we know we shouldda brought more toys and puzzles and the like. Just hope there ain't no Siberia winds heading this way. Hey, that reminds us...here's a map of Kazakhstan. Note that we are in the NE part of the country in Oskemen (Kazakh' name) or Ust-Kamenogorsk in Russian. We are about 200 miles from Mongolia, China and Russia.

For all those family and friends and new adoptive family friends, you all know what a process it has been for us...letters of recommendations (thanks Jacque, Diann, and Tom) way back in January, then a home study, a collection of assorted other papers for our dossier, and then just a few weeks ago, our Letter of Invitation. And then, the travel time and wear and tear on us to get here. Well.....it was worth all that and more. He is a great kid and we are honored to add him to our family. We are so blessed and extend our thanks and hugs and handshakes to all that have helped us along the way. We can hardly wait for you to meet Daniel.

Saturday morning is bath day at the orphanage, so we will miss our morning visit. The routine is very important and they have a set schedule. we sure will be missing him a lot tomorrow, yet also happy he will be clean when we see him in the afternoon. Taking a bath once a week sure reminds us of being young kids...tho' we just can't understand how our parents could stand the BO of four kids under toes and under lots of dirt too. As to how long ago that was...we are not going to give specific dates nor range of years. Needless to say, the majority of our blogspot viewers can also remember those days as well - especially at family gatherings when we all sit around and try to recall names of pets, neighbors, teachers, and the like.

This latest photo was taken with the timer on our camera. Papa had to run back to the couch to join Mama and Daniel. He sure loves to be photographed, and loves to see the pictures on our digital camera. A shout-out here to Ashley and Ryan for encouraging us years ago to get with the 21st Century and go digital. Sure glad we did.

Good to hear from NYC and Northern Michigan bloggers...soon Kentucky perhaps and Southern Illinois.

Bye bye...we are going to bed...nearly 9 pm here and we are pooped. Will be shopping and sight seeing with our driver and translator in the morning. Gotta get more puzzles and a baseball bat and.........

ok ok...just one more

We can't help ourselves...we know there are people in WI, and IL, and IN, and MI, and WA, to name just a few, that just wanna see more photos.

Look out hollywood...here comes Daniel J. Madison

Thursday PM...what a ride we are on

Steve sure enjoyed the meal last night at the Kaz' restaurant...Becky, so so. It was a traditional Kaz' meals...lots of meats and potatoes. Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers and juice, and some great rolls. Plus raisins, apricots, and peanuts. We are having rolls and peanut butter and soup for dinner.

We are sure on a roller coaster ride of emotions. After just four days of visits, we are ready to take Daniel home tonight. Alas,Kaz' rules require us to visit for 15 days, then we go to court, and ask to adopt Daniel. After that approval, there is more paperwork and procedures to be done. That could take a month, sometimes less. We will not know until the court hearing. We have to prepare a speech for the courts, and have that translated into Kaz'. Plus they will ask us questions, which we also need to prepare for.

This morning we got a tour of the orphanage. There are about 12 kids in his room, ten boys and two girls. Looks like they are in the 3 to 5 year old group. We met the social worker, and two care givers, including Mama Katcha. All are very nice, and they were able to tell us what a good boy Daniel is. They showed us some of his art work. He has talent, honest!! Each child has their own bed, and a place in the bathroom for their toothbrushes and towels. Very organized. Very clean facility.

This afternoon before our visit, Daniel got chocolate ice cream for his afternoon snack. It sure seemed to give him an extra energy boost. Kick ball, basketball (IU prospect for sure JJ), monkey bars, picking up stuff off the ground, and the like. We hope he sleeps well tonite, we know we will and can hardly wait to get back there for our morning two hour visit. We did manage to buy some more puzzles and games this afternoon, and a couple of new shirts.

OK...we had hoped to send a video tonite...but it is 25Mb. So here's our photo from this afternoon. It was about 70 degrees here, so Daniel din't have to wear that black hat. From our biased prespective, sure looks like he has some of those good Potts traits.

Oh, did we mention yet...he has big brown eyes and he's a lefty with the pencil and crayon, and a righty when it comes to frisbee and BB. So that means there will be two leftys at home now...Steve will be outnumbered and outsmarted for years to come

Thanks for all the posts. They mean a lot to us. We will be glad to get home to America, but we know now that it will be very hard to say goodbye and assure him that we will back. We asked Daniel who were his best friends in his group, and he answered...
Mama and Papa.....that says it all!

Thursday in Kaz'

Hi All

Thanks a bunch everyone...we have heard from the NW and WI and MI and all over in the last day. We can not tell you all how much we appreciate your notes.

Later today we will try to post a video that we took this morning. Our camera has the option to take a video, so we will attempt to post it here in a few hours.

Off for our 4-5 afternoon visit. Looks like the bag 'o goodies has the globe ball, a puzzle, silly putty, balloons, and a fruit snack from our Kaz' meal last night.

Stay tuned...love and hugs to all!!!

Stickers and bonding and kick ball,,,

One quick item before today's update....traffic in Oskemen is amazing. Our driver sure knows his way around, and we are grateful to have him at the right wheel. In fact, the driving wheel is on the right side of the car, so Steve sits up front on the left side, and sees everything without having to drive. Tonite on the way home after our first authentic Kazakh meal, we saw an accident right in front of us. We never envisioned this Kaz' adventure would involve worser traffic than the Loop or worser drivers than those Illinois morons we compete against everyday.

Stickers started off our morning visit - animals and reptiles. After that we tackled a 160 piece puzzle...together. Daniel sure was determined to find each piece and get 'em all to fit. We did in fact manage to complete putting it together, tho' we must attempt, it took us all day. Yet, after all that effort and focus, he sure enjoyed tearing it apart and putting back in the box. We sure hope his good manners and tidiness continue for years to come.

Our bonding time together is going well. We are trying to understand some of the basic words, yet this Kaz'/Russian language is very difficult. We do know that spaSIba means Thank You...and we try to say that as often as we can. We did meet an American in the hotel who is from Arkansas and now lives in Astana, the capital city of Kaz'. He knows the Clintons and shared some interesting comments about them, Walmart, and the like.

We have confirmed that Daniel definitely loves kick ball, and he sure can kick it a piece. He had us both worn out chasing it back and forth. The weather is mild and the leaves have all turned and fallen. As shown above, Daniel loved laying in a pile of leaves with his new kick ball. It's a globe ball and shows the USA and Kazakhstan, and one HUGE big airplane.

And hey, a shout out here to Michael Ross...no need to be concerned about losing your leave-laying talent. I only got in the leaves once today, and Daniel just posed for this photo for a moment or three. Must have been nearly ten years ago that Uncle Steve got to bury Mike in a pile of leaves and leave (no pun intended, honest) him there for an hour or more. No, I din't leave him, but I did have to check in on the little tike every five minutes or so to make sure he was still in that big pile and still alive. Remember that MRR??

Thanks a bunch for all the postings .... it is great to hear from you, and from what we are reading, the word is getting out to more of Indiana, and other parts of the Heartland. Including Steve's college friends from IPT. Thanks

Quick picture from earlier today

Now a few words to accompany this photo from Tuesday. Daniel, and all kids in Kaz', love to eat bananas. They are a special treat here, and are priced about the same as they are back home.

And for those viewers with a keen eye, yes - that is a puzzle there in the background. He is so focused on putting 'em together.

Tuesday..day two....Stickers and bubbles and hugs

Today we took Daniel a book of stickers - all types of stickers that he had to peel off and placeover the correct silhoutte. He loves cars and big trucks and airplanes, and he was able to place them all in the correct locations. What we originally thought would be just one set of stickers, cars, turned into two more sets. Heloves stickers. We spent over an hour with airplanes, and big trunks, and "machinaca", AKA in America as cars.

He also enjoyed the bottle of blow bubbles. He made lots of bubbles and giggled a lot when he caught them or smashed 'emwith his hands. we also played kick ball and catch with a bouncy ball. He loved playing with the ball and was proud of his abilities to kick and catch. He did very good and never seemed to run out of energy.

We did take a snack for him and us - a banana. They are a special treat here, and many of our new adoptivefamily friends recommended that we take some to the orphanage. He loved that too. And we loved getting a couple of hugs when weleft him each time today.

Oh yes, there at the top...that's our first photo of the three of us. Daniel in fact says "we" when he looks at the pictures of the three of us.

Editor's note....fortunately I had a chance us some of this blogspot stuff from America...where it all appeared in English. Yet, now all I see are Kazakh letters. The format is the same, but the words sure aren't. If there are any savy world travelers reading this, please let us know if we can turn the English back on. TIA

Our first visit to the Orphanage

Monday evening here in Oskemen, Kazakhstan. What a day...first we had some documents notarized, then to a government agency, and then finally to the orphanage to meet the director and were introduced to three boys.

Then we went back in the afternoon to visit one on one with Daniel. He is five and has lots of energy and seems very active, polite, and courteous. Tho' we were not speaking Russian, nor was he understanding English, we were able to communicate - thanks in big part to our translator, Ilena. We played frisbee and climbed up and down the playground equipment. Daniel was very proud of his ability to climb up and around and over and jump...wore us out just watching him....LOL LOL.

We also sat down and looked at book that had some pictures. It was amazing how he came up with a story for each one....the bear in the cage, the people left at the dock by the big boat, and the like. Starting on Tuesday, we will be visiting with him twice a day...10-12 in the AM, and then 4-5 in the afternoon. This is our schedule for each day, except Sunday...that is only one morning visit.

We are very excited to have found Daniel and look forward to the days and weeks ahead to see him and bond more and more everyday.

Thanks for all your posts and prayers.

Becky and Steve.....pinching ourselves that in Kaz' we can.

Sunday Noon in Oskemen...aka Ust

After four airport...Ohare...Frankfurt....Almaty....Oskemen....We have arrived.

We made it without a hitch...and without much sleep either...probably like 10 hours total between us for the three days. We are still alive and kicking...We are at Shiny River...very nice hotel. Not the Isrtsych as we originally planned.

Beautiful day...fall leaves...a lot Chicago and the Heartland should be at this time of year.

Becky and Steve

October 12... Kaz bound today

Greetings one and all,

We can hardly believe it...in a matter of hours (approx. 36 hours from now as we are still home...last minute stuff - like this blogspot) we will be in Kaz, and Monday we'll be at the orphanage in Oskemen. We are excited and ready to go.

Please check in from time to time. We'll try to get on daily and post some information on our adventure....of a life time.

Love, Becky and Steve